If this is the case, then we really should ask Smith who will be his assistant and put them in charge for this year.

I'd rather the club came out and said we have a coach lined up for next season, however cannot name him.

Bit unrealistic I reckon.....Do you really think the media would just leave a statement like that alone??

There would be constant rumour going around (mainly about Smith), and this would just serve to upset the ship even more...It could also give chance to more embarrassment if that 'unnamed' candidate suddenly decided Wire wasn't for him...Remember Scolari and the England job??

Ultimately, it doesn't help that our short term option (Lowes) is making such an appalling job of steadying the ship until the long term guy takes over.

Maybe his Assistant isn't available either. I think the club have to be very careful with their treatment of Lowes before any new appointment is made in case he goes down the 'constructive dismissal' route.

Constructive dismissal? I don't know whether that was intentional but thank you for making me chuckle. It's more like 'destructive resignation'.

Surely to God they could sack Lowes purely on the on-field results, let alone anything else.

You don't line a coach up for a season or 2 seasons time and just let the club spiral into the abbys in the mean time thats just madness. Once the fan base drop off through shear agony and ultimately embarrasement, it will be hard to temp them back when they have found some other way of filling their sunday afternoons in 12 months time. This cannot be what the board are even contemplating its suicide.